InkDish: Tattoo Art Makes Big Splash on Dinnerware

There's usually a time in your life when you're buying dinnerware, and many people - a vast percentage - purchase plain white plates, side plates, bowls, and cups. "White goes with anything," you rationalize. But today's decorating trends call for bolder, stronger uses of color in paint, flooring, furnishings, and accent pieces. Tabletop is leading the bold color charge with the new InkDish line of dinnerware.

• Paul Timman from Sunset Strip Tattoo, tattoo artist to the stars, brings his talent and training in Asian art styles to add amplified impact to plain white dinnerware.
• InkDish has released three lines from Paul Timman: the start black and white Tribal Lines (inspired by traditional Borneo tattoos and other Asian tattoo cultures; see top photo at bottom), Irezumi (classic blue-on-white tattoo art inspired by Japanese dragons and koi; see bottom photo), and Cherry Ink (beautiful cherry blossoms - see photo above).
• Each place setting features a dinner plate, side salad/dessert plate, bowl, and mug. The mug has become the perfect American dinnerware staple now, replacing the more British cup and saucer; mugs are much more practical for hot and cold drinks and are great for casual family meals.
• InkDish pieces are Grade A porcelain, but with the benefit of being safe for the microwave and dishwasher. As we see it, that's practicality married to elegance, and that's another trend for today's decor pieces: everything has to be made for a comfortable and busy family lifestyle.

Here's a great video on the Sunset Strip Tattoo, featuring some interviews with Paul Timman.

Lettuce Dinnerware from Mustardseed & Moonshine

We often see beautiful imported tabletop items, but few have impressed us as much as the amazing botanical-inspired dinnerware lines coming from Cape Town, South Africa's Mustardseed & Moonshine.

We singled out their Lettuce Dinnerware pattern as being exemplary of how they've let nature take its course as they create their fine handcrafted earthenware lines. And impressively, all pieces are dishwasher, oven, and microwave proof.

Mustardseed & Moonshine was founded by Kate Carlyle in Cape Town, South Africa in 1992. Her idea was to make beautiful ceramic flowers that were both usable and lasting, flowers that were meticulously crafted, and yet simultaneously robust and functional. Although the company has grown over the years, it remains a studio of dedicated artists and the pride that goes into each piece is evident. The artists who hand-make all of these delicate heads of lettuce and turn them into high-fired earthenware, work with love and dedication to bring a truly original piece to you.